Those who are avid bakers will
know which nuts are best to use in the different breads and pastries that they
make. Some folks prefer one type of nut over another because of its taste but
there’s one nut that people tend to shy away from and that is the macadamia.
This is not because it has an unpleasant taste. In fact, it’s quite the
opposite. The macadamia nut is one of the best tasting nuts in the world and
that’s just one reason why it is the most expensive nut in the world.

Although the nut is native to Australia, Hawaii
produces the most macadamia nuts. A contributor to the price of the nut is the
fact that the kernel can be comprised of eighty percent oil. This oil, which is
often used in place of mink oil, is especially useful in cosmetics and other
skin care products. The macadamia tree also does not start producing viable nuts
until it is seven to ten years old, giving harvesters one more reason to charge
so much. And lastly, the macadamia grows within an extremely hard shell. The
shell is so hard in fact, that it has been known to break nutcrackers that were
designed for home use. Because of this, all macadamia nuts must be released from
their shell before they are sold. All of these factors contribute to the $15 -
$16 USD per pound that you can expect to pay for the Macadamia nut.